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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25452100">Figment</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildKitsune/pseuds/WildKitsune'>WildKitsune</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abuse of Authority, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Dr Tom Riddle, F/M, Gaslighting, Grooming, Mental Health Issues, Power Imbalance, Psychopath Tom Riddle, Sexual Abuse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:09:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,496</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25452100</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildKitsune/pseuds/WildKitsune</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After being convicted of attempting to murder three classmates, Ginny is placed in a mental health facility at the age of 11.  She tries to tell everyone that she didn’t do it, that Tom made her do it, but all those around her think he is a figment of her mind.  Ten years later, her new doctor is much more understanding than anyone that came before.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tom Riddle/Ginny Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Abandoned</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>[RedForward32]: </b>
  <span>Thanks for letting me ramble Tom, you're a great friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]: </b>
  <span>You know I will always be here for you, Ginny. You can tell me anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:</b>
  <span> I know! I should go to bed. I have practice in the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]: </b>
  <span>Talk to me for five more minutes? You always make me smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:</b>
  <span> You talked me into it, what should we talk about now?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]:</b>
  <span> Tell me something you have never told another soul.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:  </b>
  <span>...what kind of thing?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]:</b>
  <span> Something that will connect us forever. I want to be connected with you, Ginny.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]</b>
  <span>: Sometimes I wish I was one of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:</b>
  <span> Sometimes I wish I could be cruel and rich and perfect just like they are.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]</b>
  <span>: You are perfect, Ginny. You just do not know it yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-AOL Log Deleted-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:</b>
  <span> I can't believe you are going to come to my game this weekend! I'm more hyped for that than the game.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]:</b>
  <span> Oh, Ginny, I can not wait to see you play. Do you know which hotel yet?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]: </b>
  <span> The coach said it was a Holiday Inn. I don't know the address. :(</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]:</b>
  <span>  Do not worry, Love, I will find you. I will always find you. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-AOL Log Deleted-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]: </b>
  <span>Sometimes I just want to kill them all!</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]:</b>
  <span> Sneak out, darling, I can be on the back road near the school in thirty minutes.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:</b>
  <span> I shouldn't</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]:</b>
  <span> I think it would be better to rant in person. Just sneak out, what is the worst that could happen?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:</b>
  <span> I'll be by the blue bench.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-AOL Log Deleted-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:</b>
  <span> WHAT DID I DO? TOM? THEY'RE NOT WAKING UP!!!!????</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]: </b>
  <span> It is okay. It will be okay, Love. Everything is going to be okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]: </b>
  <span>I didn't want to hurt anybody…</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]:</b>
  <span> Yes, you did. Now they have no more power over you.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:</b>
  <span>  But what if they never wake up? What if someone finds out it was me?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]:</b>
  <span> Just stay calm darling, it will all blow over. Everything is going to be okay in the end.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[RedForward32]:</b>
  <span>  How can you know that?</span>
</p><p>
  <b>[Voldemort]:</b>
  <span> Because I am here for you. I will always be here. You are mine, darling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-AOL Log Deleted-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The judge looked down from the bench, and Ginny focused on repeating Tom's words in her head. He told her she had to stay calm; he said she couldn't show fear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"After listening to the evidence provided, I find defendant Ginevra Molly Weasley guilty of three counts of Attempted Felony Murder of..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO!" She screamed as the judge's verdict pushed all preparation from her mind. "Tom said it would be okay!" She was shaking her seat, and the world around her became hazy. "He said it would all be okay. Why isn't it okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man carried on as if she hadn't interrupted. "...Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Hermione Granger. In assessment of both mitigating and exacerbating factors, the defendant will be sentenced to a life sentence at St Mungo's mental health facility, where she will undergo treatment and observation."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was going to have a panic attack. She was having a panic attack. She looked around for a friendly face for someone to help her. Her lawyer was already packing her things as if Ginny's life hadn't just been destroyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes were drawn to her parents' red hair, and she could see her mother crying, while her father tried to comfort her. Ginny's brothers hadn't come to the trial, and Tom was nowhere in sight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I-I… he said it would be okay." Ginny murmured to herself because no one else was listening. She couldn't help the tears that freely flowed down her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny felt dead inside as she was taken directly to a white van with the name of the hospital painted on it. She sat quietly, crying as the world made no more sense.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She took in very little of what was going on around her. Tom failed her, he had left her, and now she was going to be locked away in some awful place. All alone. She would never see him again, and somehow in the face of everything, that was what hurt the most. He said he would always protect her, that he would always find her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rough hands pulled her from the van, but she took no notice of where they were, too preoccupied with her grief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she knew it, she was sitting in an exam room with no real memory of how she'd gotten there. She shifted to look around and heard the clink of chains. She looked down and noticed the restraints around her wrists for the first time. She could feel her face was still wet, but she didn't have the energy to wipe away her tears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They hadn't even let her see her parents one last time before taking her away, but maybe her parents didn't want to see her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Miss Weasley is waiting in exam room seven." A woman's voice called to someone. "Seemed nearly catatonic when they brought her in."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Isn't she the one that poisoned those kids?" A man asked, and Ginny could hear the disgust in his voice. She was almost used to it after the trial. She turned the rest of their conversation out as she took in the room's antiseptic quality.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was she going to do? How would she deal with life stuck in the hospital without Tom to help her? She would have to rely on herself now; Tom was gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn't know how much time passed before the man stepped into the room with her. He was a round sort of man and looked nervous as he left the door open and sat on a stool a few feet from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man shied from her like she was a dangerous predator, and she couldn't help but smile a little. Tom would be proud; he would find it funny that a grown man was afraid of an eleven-year-old girl even as she was chained to a table. What a joke of a man. She started to laugh, and the man moved further from her, which made her laugh harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you know why you are here, Miss Weasley?" He asked, trying to cut through his fear. She could smell it on him; it was one of the things Tom had taught her, to see the fear in others so she wouldn't show it in herself. But his question cut her amusement off at the root forcing her to look at him, startled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They think I hurt people." She answered, and he wrote something down on his clipboard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you saying you didn't hurt your classmates?" The man asked without looking at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't mean to hurt anyone; it was supposed to be a joke." She said, looking down at her hands again. She had explained all of this before, but no one believed her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah. Well, your joke ended with three children in the hospital in intensive care. None of them have woken yet. What did you give them?" He asked, growing bolder as she fidgeted in her seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know." She answered. All these questions had been asked before, and she wasn't going to tell this man anything new.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm Dr. Slughorn; I will be your psychiatrist here at St. Mungo's. This interview will help me determine the best treatment for you, so you need to be honest with me, Miss Weasley."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know." She said the words more firmly glaring at him. "I don't need any treatment. J-just let me go home." She said her words breaking as she didn't know what else she could say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You must know that isn't possible. You hurt those children, and it is my job to help you to understand why."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't know what I gave them." She said, rolling her eyes because she knew it was useless. "Tom said it would make them sleep for a day; they would miss class. It was supposed to be a joke."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tom?" He asked as he flipped through notes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She licked her lips and shook her head as she stared at her hands. "He's a friend; he gave me the stuff."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is his last name?" Slughorn asked, and she shook her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Pierce. Tom Pierce."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You've already been told there is no record of anyone going to your school by that name?" He asked as if he was kind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't meet him at school." She said and waved her hand at his file. "You've got to know all of this already."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They looked at your computer, Miss Weasley. That didn't find any records of supposed conversations you had with this Tom character. It is possible your mind made this character up to protect you from what you did. But don't worry, we're going to help you find the truth."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth as far as it would go and shook her head. She hated that people kept telling her Tom wasn't real. She shook her head and glared at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"If you have nothing else to tell me, then I'm going to have someone come to help you change into your hospital gown, after which you will be taken to a room you can settle in."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head and tugged at the chains around her wrists a little. She was done talking to this man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright. Tomorrow we will start our regular sessions." He said, getting up and trying to mask his fear as he made his way out. "You can trust me, Ginerva; I'm here to help."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't call me that!" She snapped suddenly, and the doctor nearly ran from the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A stern but gentle nurse came in the room a few minutes later and unlocked the cuffs so she could change into the hospital gown. Two very large orderlies escorted her to her room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One opened the door and motioned for her to enter. Looking inside, she found that the room had no furniture and oddly padded walls. She looked back at the man in alarm and shook her head, refusing to go inside. She backed up to press herself against the opposite wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No." She said, not wishing to be put in a padded cell like those she had seen in movies. She didn't need a padded cell; nothing was wrong with her! "No, no, no! Anywhere else, please! I want…" She trailed off. "I want to talk to Tom. Can you get him? Tell him I'm not mad. I'm not mad at him. I know I did it wrong. Please? Just tell him that? Tell him I know I must have done it wrong."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man just shook his head and picked her up so he could move her into the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"NO!" She screamed the word forcefully, starting to kick and thrash and fight with every resource that she had. There was a sharp pain in her neck, and then the whole world began to swim around her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just tell him, please?" She asked sluggishly before darkness pulled her down into its depths.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Slumber</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Weasley, come get your meds." The woman called from the desk, causing Ginny to look up slowly from where she had been watching the window. She didn't know what she had been looking at or how long it had kept her attention. "Don't make me wait on you." The woman snapped angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The new nurse was never very nice when she was made to wait, so Ginny pushed herself out of her seat and walked over to the desk to get her paper cup. She was only half aware of what was going on; it was always hard to focus on more than one thing at a time. She lived her life in a series of moments soon forgotten the second they passed. It was a sense of peace in a world without real life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she looked into her cup of pills to count them as she did every day, she noticed there were some missing. She had lost her voice some time ago, so she could only look at the nurse in confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Your new psychiatrist changed your med order." The nurse said as she understood Ginny's confusion. "Take them so I can get on with my list."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny dumped the pills into her mouth and swallowed them dry before showing the nurse they were all gone. When her focus shifted away, the small change in her day was forgotten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The week continued with nothing else changing. The new meds became as ordinary and predictable as the rest of Ginny's world. So forgotten was the change that when she saw the new psychiatrist, she paid him no more attention than she ever had. He wasn't new to her; he was just a slimmer version of the last one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He talked more than the last one, but she couldn't focus on him enough to answer or even understand his questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A month passed before Ginny found herself distracted by things she hadn't noticed in a long time. The sounds of the other patients, the smells of urine and disinfectant. She stayed next to the big windows in the common area and looked out at the lawn's vibrant green.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ginny baby, come get your meds." It was Blaise today. He had been at St. Mungo's for a few years, and always had a smile for her. She walked to the desk shyly and took the pill cup from his hand with care. "Looks like the doc changed your script again." He warned her before she counted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gave him a timid smile, downed the new pills without water, and then showed him she wasn't hiding anything under her tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's my girl." He said and gave her a wink and a wicked grin that made her feel something new and strange. Alarm?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time it was her day to see her psychiatrist again, her heart felt like it was running races in her chest. She sat down in his office and noticed for the first time how different everything was from when Slughorn occupied it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The world was becoming too bright. It excited and frightened Ginny, but she didn't feel comfortable in her skin. Was she going to start doing bad things again? Would she hurt someone?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blaise's face flashed through her head, and the odd unknowable feeling made her curl up on the large leather chair she had been seated in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why are you agitated, Ginevra?" The new man asked in a voice that she knew, but didn't dare hope. Tom wasn't real; he was a dream she made up. A lovely story to save her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did she need saving now? Was that why Tom was back, or had it been the peaceful fog that had kept him away for so long?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She started to rock in her chair. She couldn't look at the man, Ginny knew if she looked, it would end the dream and she would be all the more hurt from its loss. Tom wasn't real; he was just a trick her mind played. But she wanted to bask in that trick for as long as she could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How am I upsetting you, Ginevra?" The doctor asked in Tom's voice, making a shiver run through her whole body. She wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them up tightly to her chest. With her eyes closed tight, she savored the sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doctor sighed just as Tom did when he was exasperated with Ginny, and that too felt like electricity on her skin. It was as good as it was painful, and she couldn't decide if she wanted it to stop or never stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This isn't your fault Ginevra." He told her as he moved around the desk. "That fool damaged you with all of those drugs." She could feel as he crouched in front of her chair and shifted her chin to face him. "Why do you have your eyes closed?" He asked, and she pulled away. She didn't want the dream to end yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed again, moving away from her. She heard the door open and ran her fingers over the place he had touched her skin with a smile. She could still pretend it was him as long as the doctor's real face didn't break her dream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Zambini, you can take her back to her room now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sir, she hasn't had her full hour," Blaise argued, and Ginny shook her head, knowing better than to disagree with Tom. She let her limp red locks drop into her face as she opened her eyes. She feared what they might do; neither of them were safe men to cross.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Doctor Slughorn may have been in the habit of talking to the unresponsive for an hour at a time, but I prefer to spend my time on more productive pursuits." The doctor said, his tone was not to be questioned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Right," Blaise said as he moved into the room to help her out of the chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kept a firm grip on her arm as he guided her from the office. Ginny watched the ground as they passed, her would-be Tom, so she didn't have to see his face. She couldn't help but notice the man's shoes were shined to perfection. Perfect, just like Tom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once they were back in her room, Blaise lingered, and it made her feel anxious. She never remembered feeling so afraid of him before. Blaise was the kind nurse, he was the one who smiled at her, but something about his presence in her room unsettled her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You okay, sweetheart?" He asked as he lingered by the door. "The mean Doctor Riddle didn't scare you, did he?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She moved to the window and away from her bed. She was feeling more and more anxious as Blaise stood there watching her, so she nodded and turned her back on him. He would go away if she weren't paying attention. Her body only relaxed when she heard the sound of the door closing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After that day, her dreams filled themselves with visions of Tom. They were different from before, more vivid and changed. His smile brought new feelings and desires. Looks he had given her a thousand times meant something different to her now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The doctor didn't call her back to his office after that, and weeks went by as her new awareness started to feel normal. She had no more visions of Tom; her dreams were the only comfort she had in the new brighter world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn't know how many days had passed when the next change came. Found herself fascinated with the clock on the wall behind its protected mesh. She was listening as the nurse called patents one at a time to get their morning meds. When the regular and predictable calls ended, Ginny realized she hadn't gone up to get her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It felt thrilling as if she was getting away with something, but also too frightening to let stand. She headed to the desk and looked at the blond nurse who was shifting papers around. Ginny thought her name was Lavender.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No one called you, Weasley." She said as the nurse glanced up at her. "What do you want?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny gave her an expectant look and tilted her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Right, you don't talk. I don't have time for this. Go away." She said, making a shooing motion with her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny frowned and shook her head, a surge of anger coursed through her for the first time in memory, and she slammed her hand down on the counter. She hated how this woman often disregarded her as if she were nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't respond to fits," Lavender said though she looked uneasy, her eyes shifting to the phone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny grabbed it off the desk and threw it at the other girl's face. She smiled, wanting to laugh as Lavender screamed, throwing up her arms to protect herself from the projectile. Ginny felt powerful, so she picked up the next thing in her sight and threw it at the nurse. It felt wonderful to see that fear; she didn't want to stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Strong hands grabbed her from behind and pinned her arms to her side. She fought against their hold, already lost to the ecstasy of her wrath. She had forgotten how she used to make them fear her. Just as she felt the cold edge of a needle at her neck, a new voice interrupted the chaos.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>," The doctor ordered, and everything went silent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She was attacking me. Protocol says she needs to be sedated." The nurse said, sounding out of breath. She felt the sting then and the rush of fluid under her skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You imbecile." He countered, sounding beautiful in his anger. Ginny fought to keep her eyes open as her head lulled to the side on its own. She felt the nurse being pushed aside and firm fingers grabbing her chin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked into his incredible dark eyes for the first time in ages and smiled as she breathed the word like a prayer. Tom. There was no real sound to it, but she could see he understood and even smiled before her consciousness was stolen away.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Waking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>She could tell by the mixed smells of mildew, urine, and disinfectant that she was in one of the padded rooms. She would guess room B because the mold was a bit stronger than the other smells. She opened her eyes and looked around, nodding to herself as she confirmed by smudges on the wall that it was, in fact, room B.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny's head pounded softly, and her mouth was as dry as sand. She couldn't remember the last time they had had to use any of the needles on her. Her body didn't seem to like it in the least. She had to agree with her body's assessment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She remembered her fleeting thoughts before they made her sleep. She remembered how she used to fight them in the beginning, how she made them fear her. She didn't know how long it had been since anyone feared her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took her a bit to sit up without the use of her hands. It seemed that someone had decided that Ginny had been bad enough to be restrained within the room. She pulled at the coat that wrapped her arms around her form, but Ginny knew there was no real point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some of the brightness has leaked from the world as the drug still hung in her system. She had grown to like the new shine and whimpered in distress. Was it gone forever now? It had been like waking for a moment, only to find she was still in the gray nightmare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes and remembered the incredible fury and the joy of throwing things at the nurse and the way the girl screamed. It had been so long since she felt anything so intensely Ginny couldn't deny that she had loved it. Her only worry was they would take it away again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're awake," Tom spoke from the door, and she couldn't help but smile as she drank in his appearance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the Tom of her dreams, but different as well. He was older, and she wondered how long she had been stuck in muted limbo. She knew she was older, too; her body had changed too much from the eleven-year-old that had been committed. Her body was softer than it once had been. She had curves, but she was also taller. She must have been stuck there for years, just coasting on the numbness she had grown used to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He walked over to her without fear and crotched down so their eyes could meet more easily. So many of the doctors and nurses feared the patients. Even the good ones seemed unsettled at the sight of someone in the padded rooms. But she knew Tom feared nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He brushed the hair from her face and studied her for a long moment without speaking. "Just a small setback in your new treatment plan." He told her gently. "You're looking at me, that is an improvement."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How could she tell him what she had been feeling in his office? She had thought he was a dream; she didn't know he was real. Dread pulled in her stomach as fear bloomed in her mind. What if he was a dream? Tom had left her. Why would he come back now? Everyone said he wasn't real, but he had spoken to the other staff before she passed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head and moved back from him. She wished she could scream at the figment to leave her alone. But her voice had been gone for so long all she could do was shove herself back with her feet and shake her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched her with fascination. He watched her just like Tom always did when he was trying to understand why she was acting a certain way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What have they done to you, Ginevra?" He asked with measured sadness. "They feared your power, so they took away all the things that made you beautiful." He told her with a frown.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned back at him before looking away and closing her eyes. She couldn't handle the dream anymore, she slowed her breathing and let herself start to slip back into the daze the drugs provided, there was still enough that it was easy if she didn't fight it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where has my Ginevra gone?" Tom asked from what seemed like very far away. "Do not worry, Love, I will find you. I will always find you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His words snapped her from the daze as if someone had poured cold water over her head. She looked back at him and started to rock as her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted him to be real; she wanted her Tom in her life; she ached to feel the way he always made things seem possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Better. I need you to focus, Ginevra." He said as he reached a hand out towards her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dr. Riddle? You know it is against hospital policy to enter a Level Red's room alone. Where are the orderlies?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny watched the annoyed and dangerous expression that crossed his face before it melted into perfect charm right before he turned to face the new person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ms. Umbridge." He said, and Ginny couldn't help but be fascinated as Tom's form morphed into some version she had never seen before. "The girl couldn't weigh more than 120 pounds soaking wet. Are you questioning my ability to restrain, an already restrained girl?" He asked in a tone that was teasing and challenging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was a role he played, a mask he had never bothered to use on her. He always told her she was special; she was the only one who could understand the real him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That is not the point Doctor," The fowl administrator said with an annoying little giggle. It was the giggle that made Ginny remember her; she had been there for as long as Slughorn, always in the background saying things that always put her on edge, even if she couldn't understand them. "She's a Lever Red and damaged one of our nurses just yesterday."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When I was hired here, I was told I would get complete access to her." He said dryly. "Your </span>
  <em>
    <span>nurse</span>
  </em>
  <span> put me back weeks in my study. Ginevra Weasley is the whole reason I took this job." He said, and Ginny couldn't help the happy feeling those words inspired. Tom had come just for her; he hadn't abandoned her. But what had taken him so long?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Dr. Riddle, I know the arrangement you have with the Director, but that does not supersede our safety protocols. Rules are there to be followed. We would be no better than the residents if we didn't follow the rules."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny watched the muscles tense in Tom's back and wished she could touch him; she wanted to tell him that she wouldn't mind if he hurt the woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let us go speak with the Director now, shall we?" He asked before glancing back at Ginny. His eyes were calculating as he took her in. His lips sharpened into a pleased expression before he followed the nasty woman out, and the door locked behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once he was out of sight, she started to doubt again. How could that be Tom? How many people had told her, her Tom wasn't real. How many people pointed out no one, but Ginny had ever seen him?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This Tom was real. Other people had talked to him three times that Ginny could remember. He looked and sounded and even acted just like her Tom. How could he be both real and not real?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was he still her friend?  She shook her head as memories of her time before the hospital were a confusing, jumbled mess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Time to go back to your room Ginny." Someone said, but she was too distracted to notice who was removing the coat and helping her to her feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She let the person move her and guide her as she spun idea after idea in her mind and tried to detangle something that seemed hopelessly confused.  When tender fingers brushed over her cheek, she remembered something and looked up into Blaise's eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were alone in her room, and her heart was racing, she didn't know why her heart was racing.  She knew something was happening, but she couldn't remember what had happened before.  All she knew was it was not something she wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blaise smiled as she stepped away from him and her back hit the wall.  She jerked as his arms closed around either side of her, trapping her in place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's nice that you can look me in the eyes," Blaise said as he smiled and leaned into her.  She turned her head at the last moment, and his lips landed on her jaw.  It didn't deter him, and his mouth moved slowly down her neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head and tried to push him away.  She could feel his lips on her like phantoms from the past.  How many times had he cornered her?  She could hear him telling her how good she was for him, how sweet she tasted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Baby? What's wrong?" He asked as he moved back just enough to look back into her eyes. "I thought you liked kissing. It's only kissing, sweetheart." He said, leaning in again, but she shook her head.  Her hands pressed against his chest in vain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed and looked back at her with a frown. "You need to relax, Ginny, want something to help you relax?" He asked as he dug in his pocket and pulled out a few pills. "Take these; they'll help. You've had a bad day, honey."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked at the pills and recognized some of them as something she had taken before.  She didn't know what they did, but she knew they would make the fear go away.  They would dull everything again.  Would they take Tom away?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is what you wanted from Lavender." He pressed, holding a pill to her lips. "Time for your medicine baby, and then we can have some fun."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She opened her mouth and let him place the pills on her tongue before swallowing them.  She closed her eyes and wondered if it would make life easier again, even if she did lose Tom.  Things had been so confusing since the pills had changed.  She wasn't ready for any of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know how hot I find it that you can do that?" Blaise asked as he moved to press his lips against her neck. "It makes me wonder what else you could take down that throat of yours."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was drifting on a cloud as the pills dissolved in her empty stomach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I added something a little extra today." He kept talking as she could feel the color drain from her world. "You're going to like the ride tonight, baby." He told her as his hands moved under her shirt and brushed against her skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She whimpered and shook her head.  She pressed against his shoulders, but she only got weaker as the drugs took effect.  She could feel large hands move down to her hips then to the drawstring of her pants.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think it's time we take the next step, bet you're still a virgin, aren't you honey?" He said as his hands pushed her pants down over her hips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head as her hands moved to his to try and stop him.  It was hard to focus, but she knew she didn't want him touching her like he was.  She wanted to tell him no, tried to force the words past her lips, but no sound came from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shhh baby, you're going to like this, have I ever steered you wrong?" Blaise asked as if this was a game they had played many times.  Had she liked this before?  Ginny remembered confused heated kisses with Blaise and lots of touching.  But did she like it?  She couldn't remember.  Her thoughts only made her afraid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was why she felt weird around Blaise since she started to hold thoughts again.  She had been afraid of him; why?  Was this way?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As her focus slipped away, all she could feel was the nice bits.  The way he touched her heated her body and made her feel wanted.  Yes, she had liked this, she closed her eyes again and sunk into the feeling.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Care</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"That's it baby; I'm here." He cooed and in her head, and she could almost hear Tom's voice as strong hands pushed her legs apart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She remembered all the pleasant dreams of kissing Tom and pressed her body closer to his. It was Tom; Tom would take care of her; he would make everything feel right. It had always been Tom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll have to thank Dr. Riddle; you're much more fun like this baby," Blaise said, and she frowned again as she remembered Riddle was Tom, and this was not Tom touching her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She started to shake her head again, but it still felt good, everything felt so good. She wanted more, but she didn't want it from him. It was hard to stay focused; it was hard to remember this wasn't what she wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A crashing sound made her jump as the door was slammed open. The next moment the warm body pressed against her was gone, and she slid slowly down the wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fuck!" Someone cursed as her ass hit the cold tile, and it felt like her whole body was on fire. Her breasts were starting to hurt, and she was shaking with a need she didn't understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you think you are doing to </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> patent Mr. Zambini?" A deadly voice asked, and she pressed her legs together. Ginny wanted him; he was here; she needed his touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"S-she came on to me. I was trying to put her to bed like I was told." The other voice said, but that didn't sound right. She whimpered and shook her head. She hadn't wanted Blaise to touch her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What did you give her?" Tom asked in a calm tone. Ginny whimpered, he was angry. Tom was always the most dangerous when he sounded calm like he did at that moment. She hadn't meant to touch Blaise; she didn't want Tom angry with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's not that big of a deal." Blaise sounded a bit smug. "If you want to ride her first, I have no issue. I've seen the way you look at her; I won't tell anyone."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were groans and the sound of skin smashing against skin; after that, Ginny silently whimpered as she wanted someone to touch her. She needed someone to make the hurt go away. The pills had made everything much worse. She wanted Tom to make her feel better. Everything felt like too much but also not enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was shaking uncontrollably when someone finally touched her cheek; she pressed into the fingers' heat. "What did you give her?" The question was hissed as a bright light was shone in her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Her usual mix, plus a little molly." The other voice sounded in pain, and Ginny didn't like the light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The usual mix of poison I've been working to detox her from you mean?" Tom nearly growled. "And you mixed MDMA with it as if you know how those drugs interact?" He pulled away from her again then, and she tried to follow his warmth with a silent cry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You couldn't have just fucked one of the others?" Tom snarled, and more hitting sounds soon followed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny blindly crawled towards the noise; she couldn't handle the cold; she needed someone to take her focus; she couldn't deal with the spinning world alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone stepped on her hand and tripped over her kicking her again in the shoulder on their way down. She curled into a ball as the pain was too much she couldn't think, couldn't understand the arguing or the fighting. She just needed it all to stop!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She clutched her hand to her body and rocked in place as she waited for it all to go away again. If this was the price of a world full of color, she didn't know if she could pay it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gentle hands shifted her and picked her up only to set her down on a soft surface. They brushed hair for her face, and Ginny pulled away as she remembered how Blaise had wanted to touch her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's me, my pet, I'm here," Tom said, and she pushed herself into his arms. She needed him to hold her; she needed him to make the rest of everything go away. "I'll protect you; I'll always protect you." He soothed, and he gently stroked her back and held her in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny worked to control her breathing. Tom was there; he was going to protect her. Everything would be okay. She drifted off to sleep in his arms and felt safe for the first time since she arrived at the hospital.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Ginny opened her eyes, she felt rundown and overspent.  Her hand hurt from being stepped on.  There was no one in her room with her, and she couldn't decide if the night before had just been another dream.  Everything had changed so much in a short time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She couldn't help but fear that the change in pills had only proven her original doctors right.  The only reason she was seeing Tom now was that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>a figment of her mind.  She felt nauseous and wrong and hoped the nurses would forget to wake her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She curled onto her side, barring her face in her pillow.  She hadn't felt so awake in some time.  She thought maybe she had spent years in that haze; she couldn't be sure.  But how was it she felt alive and as if she had to be dreaming?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing made sense anymore, and she didn't know how she would handle it if they forced her back into the fog.  She didn't know how she would handle it if she had to stay in the light without Tom.  She tried to remember when the fog had appeared the first time.  Had she fought it back then, or had she accepted it?  Her memories were still scattered and wrong, and it only made her curl into a tighter ball to think about them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny's plan for how to deal with the new turn in her life centered around staying curled in her bed and trying hard not to think.  The idea was a bad one.  She couldn't stop racing thoughts.  With her mind alive once more, it was as if it was making up for the lost time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wondered curiously if her voice had returned with her thoughts, but the idea of trying it only bubbled new and horrible anxiety.  When the door to Ginny's room opened, she continued to lay in bed and pretend like she wasn't seeing anything beyond what was directly in front of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How are you feeling this morning, </span>
  <span>Ginevra</span>
  <span>?" Tom asked, and it took her a long moment to slowly roll on her bed to see if it was really him standing over her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She savored his face as she took in every detail.  If he was a figment of her imagination, then she was quite an artist.  She licked her lips and opened her mouth to tell him something important, but quickly closed up again.  She didn't want to try and speak only to find out she couldn't.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He moved closer to her, and she could see his greedy expression as if he too had waited far too long to look upon her again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-it wasn't okay." She said as she could feel the burning in her eyes that promised tears. "Y-you left me here…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat down on her bed and let out a frustrated huff.  Nothing about Tom was ever apologetic, and she wasn't surprised even now that he was more angry than sorry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It took me longer than I would have liked, Ginny." He hissed to the room. "I've tried for years to find my way into this place. I've tried for so long to get back to you, but I am here now.  You spoke, everything will be okay." He said as he turned his attention back to her. "You're my creature, Ginny; I would never let the court of fools take you away from me forever."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded at the determined look in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They will pay for the time they stole from us, and our revenge will be beautiful.  I promise you that." He cooed as if his words were comforting.  Tom never understood what was supposed to be reassuring, but the fact that he hadn't changed </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> comforting to Ginny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"W-what if you're not real?" She verbalized her greatest fear.  Her voice was still rough and slow with disuse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I am the most real thing in your life, my girl.  No one will ever be more real than me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Y-you pro-promise?" She asked as he reached out and touched her cheek, he savored the feel of her as she savored everything about the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I promise." He told her firmly, and she couldn't help but smile. "You must be feeling better.  I feared that poison had killed your magic." He sighed and nodded. "No more pills Ginny.  You fight them if they try to give you more pills." He told her firmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"N-no m-mmore pills." She agreed and closed her eyes as he continued to stroke her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Once you're recovered enough, we will leave here.  I have so much to show you, Ginny.  Things I've wanted you to see for years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny nodded in agreement, but she couldn't see past the present, and she felt as if she had used up whatever voice she had for the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can you do something for me, my dear?" He asked, and she lazily opened her eyes to look up at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can't show them that I am giving you back your power.  No one outside of this room can be trusted."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thinking of other people brought the night before back to her mind, and she frowned.  Everything still felt mixed and ragged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"B-" She shook her head, unable to get the word out. "W-w-w" She whimpered silently and turned her face away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Take a breath, Ginny.  Tell me what you need." He softly ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny closed her eyes and formed the question in her mind before she tried to use any words. "W-what ha-" She shook her head and took another breath. "B-bla-" Ginny bit her bottom lip hard.  She was feeling too much to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What happened to the orderly?" Tom asked, and she quickly nodded without opening her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He knows better than to bother you again, my sweet.  And he won't be at the hospital much longer, I promise." He soothed, and Ginny relaxed once more.  Tom would take care of everything.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Strength</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Ginny ventured out into the common room, she wasn't exactly sure what to do. She was supposed to be acting as she always had, slow and moving as if in a fog. But her memories were thick and confused. She wasn't sure what it was she did to pass her time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shuffled across the room and sat in a chair that seemed familiar and comfortable to watch the clock on the wall. She thought she remembered watching the clock a lot though it didn't hold her attention as it must have once.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She found herself rubbing the hand that someone had stepped on the night before and tried to settle into the room's rhythm. The call for morning meds lulls her into a daze, and Ginny reminded herself that she was not supposed to take any more pills.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a new girl at the nurse's desk with shiny black hair. Ginny didn't remember seeing her before, but Blaise is pointedly not looking at Ginny while trying to flirt with the sweet young nurse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she got to her feet, Ginny wasn't sure where she was going but ended up at the central desk where the two were chatting. The new nurse gave her a kind smile. Ginny already liked the girl more than she had ever liked Lavender.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can I help you, honey?" The woman asked, and it seemed that she meant the question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ginny is a nonverbal." Blaise filled in when she just stared at the nurse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh." The girl's cheeks went slightly pink, and she looked uncomfortable until Ginny reached out and pulled a lock of the girl's long hair between her fingers. She showed it to Blaise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You should wear your hair up. Lavender quit because of this one. She gets violent." He spoke as if she couldn't understand him, though he seemed uncomfortable with her attention.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lavender quit? Ginny smiled and gave the new girl back her hair. She was glad she wouldn't have to deal with Lavender any more. She was the one that made the orderly give her a shot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Violent?" The girl sounded doubtful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh yeah, Ginny here is famous. When she was just a kid, she poisoned a bunch of students at her school, and almost killed them. They were in comas for months."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny frowned at the information. There was something more there then he was saying. She couldn't get her mind to twist around the information she was missing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really? She seems clam to me. I'm Cho; it is nice to meet you, Ginny. Would you like me to help you with your hair?" She asked as if that was why Ginny had been touching her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny looked at the girl for a moment and nodded her head as slowly as she could manage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let me finish up here, and then I'll come to get you." The girl promised.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cho helped her to really clean and brush her hair for the first time in memory. By the time they were done, it was time to see Tom, and Cho was the one to take her as Blaise made excuses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom waited for the door to me firmly closed before he smiled at Ginny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You like the new nurse?" He asked as she played with her bright red strands. She didn't know if they ever looked so healthy. Ginny nodded. "Would you like to try talking?" He asked, but his tone made it clear it wasn't a request.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lavender quit." She slowly told him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes twinkled as he nodded in agreement. "Miss Brown just found your ward too stressful, had to move out of state to get away from it all." He said in an odd mocking way. But Ginny was too pleased to understand his tone. "Maybe Mr. Zambini will join her soon. Would you like that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny considered his question and shook her head. "He's afraid now." She told Tom. She wanted to continue making Blaise afraid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You like making him afraid?" Tom asked as he moved around his desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny nodded and bit her lip. She had been told so often that making people afraid was wrong, but she knew Tom liked to make people afraid. When Tom crotched in front of her, she looked back into his dark eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then I won't take that away from you. But we will have to take care of him before we leave Ginny. He knows how special you are, and no one can know that." He explained as he stroked her cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny nodded as she leaned into the touch and closed her eyes. With each passing day, Ginny felt stronger and more in control. She would make a game of meeting Blaise's eyes and giving him evil looks, but only when no one else could see.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She met with Tom daily and grew her voice with his help and encouragement. The first time she tried to kiss him, he put his hand over her mouth and shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Not here, Ginny, not like this." He explained, but then ran his thumb over her mouth. "When we are free, I will make you mine in all ways."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny nodded and flushed at the hunger Tom allowed her to see in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few weeks after the almost kiss, she was woken by the smell of rotting meat. She looked up to find Tom in her room with a sizeable black bag on the floor that he was opening. The smell came from the pack, and it only took Ginny a moment to recognize the blond hair, though the body was dressed in the green scrubs all the patents wore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lavender?" She asked as she got out of bed, and Tom rolled her out of the black bag before zipping it back up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is what happens to people who harm you," Tom explained as he packed the bag away in a duffle and pulled out other supplies Ginny didn't understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Would you like the honors, my sweet?" He asked as he held out a bottle and a lighter. "She's already dead, but they are going to think you started the fire anyway."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny bit her lip and took the bottle first. It smelt weird, but she covered the body in it before she took the lighter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Careful, don't get too close." He explained before she lit a stream of liquid, everything went up so quickly that Ginny had to step back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom took her hand after that, and they made their way into areas of the hospital she had never visited. She wondered why no fire alarms were going off. She had a vague memory of them practicing what to do for fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they entered a room that was part kitchen part living area, she found Blaise tied to a chair. He was scared and working on getting himself free, but Tom was good at anything he set his mind to, even knots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I thought a bow would be too much, darling," Tom explained with a whisper in her ear. "When we leave tonight, there will be no one left to make him afraid." He explained. "It is up to you how we deal with this roach. He can burn or bleed." Tom's words made her shiver.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ginny! Don't." Blaise looked ashen as he watched the two. "You're a good girl; you don't want to hurt me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Burn." Ginny nodded; she relished the idea of him being afraid to the very last moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then, you need to give him his medicine," Tom explained, and he pulled a large syringe from his bag. "We don't want there to be evidence of him being tied."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Where?" Ginny asked as Blaise's struggles became more frantic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom brushed a finger over a place at the side of her neck. "This will paralyze him, but not out him to sleep. He'll get to see it coming; he'll be powerless just like what he did to you." Tom explained as he placed the needle in her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny took the guard off the needle as she strolled over to Blaise. She wanted him to know how strong she was now, even as he and his kind tried to weaken her for so many years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She watched his eyes as she sunk the point through his skin and pushed down on the plunger. With Tom's help, she untied him a moment later, and just to be safe, Tom locked the door to the room before they left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She followed Tom around the building and cut into the woods for reasons Ginny didn't understand until they came upon Tom's car on the side of the road away from the hospital. They made it to a highway, and she couldn't stop looking around.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny was excited; she didn't think she would ever sleep again. She was free and out in the world, with Tom at her side! It didn't take long before he pulled off the highway and into a rest area. He handed her a shopping bag with clothes and motioned towards the dimly lit building as he pulled the duffle out of the back of the trunk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the first real clothes Ginny had put on since she was eleven, and even still, she could tell they were of high quality. She looked at the woman in the mirror and couldn't help but feel brave and strong. Tom would teach her never to be trapped again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she got back out to the car, Tom just gave her a wink. He liked her new outfit as much as she did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When it's safer, I'll take you shopping." He promised as she slipped back into the passenger's seat. "For now, I want you to enjoy a little of what they took from you, Ginny." He reached for her and squeezed her leg before they took off again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the adrenaline had made its way through her system, Ginny found that she was tired after all. She wasn't sure when she drifted off, but she had a disorienting start. She sat up in a fluffy bed, and she could hear a woman's voice talking on the TV in another room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She would have thought the night before was a dream, but she was awake, and the room she was in was like nothing she had ever experienced. It was clean and bright and smelled of nothing at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She breathed the scentless air in deeply before she slipped out of bed. She was still wearing the outfit Tom had given her, and when she followed the sound of the TV. The bedroom opened into a living room area, and Ginny thought they might be in a hotel. Tom sat on the couch, reading a paper, and drinking coffee as the news played in the background.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm glad you woke before I had to leave." He said without looking up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Ginny's attention was on the news. She moved towards the TV without a word for Tom and knelt in front of the large screen to touch the woman's face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The fire at Saint Mungo's Mental Health Facility is still being investigated. It isn't clear how the fire started, only that it was somewhere in the wing for the severely ill." The familiar woman explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ginny's eyes flicked to the redheaded man standing next to her and frowned. Her stomach felt as if she had swallowed a lump of hot coal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How do you respond to the rumors that it was your sister-in-law that could have started the fire?" A reporter asked the woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"As one of her victims, I forgave Ginevra a long time ago. As a member of her family, I am mourning her loss, and I do not wish to speak to any unverified rumors."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The TV turned off after that and Ginny looked back at Tom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I checked the records; not a single one ever visited you. Even after the woman woke, as I said they would, they never came to save you. It may have been out of my power for a long time. But Senator Granger could have made your life better if she had really </span>
  <em>
    <span>forgiven you</span>
  </em>
  <span>." He rolled his eyes. "She could have at least visited once."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I hate them all." She told him softly as he moved over to her. "They told me you were real."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They are jealous liars that always feared your power." Tom purred before lifting her chin so she would look at him. "Don't worry, love, this time they're never going to wake up." He promised with a smirk.</span>
</p>
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